Flavonoids May Kill Pancreatic Cancer Cells

URBANA, Ill.New research out of the University of Illinois suggests apigenin and luteolin flavonoids found naturally in foods like celery, artichokes and herbs, especially Mexican oreganokill human pancreatic cancer cells in the lab by inhibiting an important enzyme.

Apigenin alone induced cell death in two aggressive human pancreatic cancer cell lines. But we received the best results when we pre-treated cancer cells with apigenin for 24 hours, then applied the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine for 36 hours," the researchers said, adding the trick seemed to be using the flavonoids as a pre-treatment instead of applying them and the chemotherapeutic drug simultaneously.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with a 5-year survival rate of only 6%. Ultimately the goal is to develop a cure, but prolonging the lives of patients would be a significant development.

"Even though the topic is still controversial, our study indicated that taking antioxidant supplements on the same day as chemotherapeutic drugs may negate the effect of those drugs," the researchers said. "That happens because flavonoids can act as antioxidants. One of the ways that chemotherapeutic drugs kill cells is based on their pro-oxidant activity, meaning that flavonoids and chemotherapeutic drugs may compete with each other when they're introduced at the same time."

The scientists found apigenin inhibited an enzyme called glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), which led to a decrease in the production of anti-apoptotic genes in the pancreatic cancer cells. Apoptosis means that the cancer cell self-destructs because its DNA has been damaged. In one of the cancer cell lines, the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis went from 8.4% in cells that had not been treated with the flavonoid to 43.8% in cells that had been treated with a 50-micromolar dose. In this case, no chemotherapy drug had been added. Treatment with the flavonoid also modified gene expression.

The study is the first to show that apigenin treatment can lead to an increase in interleukin 17s in pancreatic cells, showing its potential relevance in anti-pancreatic cancer activity.

Pancreatic cancer patients would probably not be able to eat enough flavonoid-rich foods to raise blood plasma levels of the flavonoid to an effective level. But scientists could design drugs that would achieve those concentrations.

"If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables throughout your life, you'll have chronic exposure to these bioactive flavonoids, which would certainly help to reduce the risk of cancer," they said.